By Bisola Adeyemo
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The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has announced its plan to demolish all illegal structures in Utako village as well as removing houses built on waterways in 2nd Avenue, Gwarinpa in FCT.
Tpl Muktar Galadima, the Director of the Department of Development Control made the announcement during a sensitization exercise in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to him, the agency was committed to preserving the original design of Abuja’s master plan by ridding the city of illegal structures that could deface the Territory.
He stated that the Utako area had lately been designated for demolition and that it will be dismantled and handed over to the Nigerian Police to build its Utako Police station, independent reports.
Galadima said, “The reason why we have to visit Utako again is that the police force have a plot there that is about 2 hectares and they have submitted their design to develop the place and we processed the plan and granted approval to them to commence development, and we were involved in the process of negotiation and compensation of the people that were affected but thought it wise that it would be important to sensitize the people occupying the area so it will not be some sort of coronation and that is we said it important to meet with the people and explained to them about our intention to demolish the area tomorrow.
“We are following due process the owners of the plot have submitted their plan and we have approved it so now they want to commence development.
“There was an understanding between the police force and the Indigenous Communities and FCT administration in this context the Development Control. Within the process of developing some of the indigenous houses will be affected and we have to meet with them and resolve that some of them can stay with their kids and kinsman, while that can find else will look at how the police force can accommodate them in such places.
“We have marked those structures already and we intend to move there by tomorrow Wednesday and Thursday.
“One of our major objectives as the government is to ensure the citizens of the territory of their safety and project their wellbeing also. Looking at that place we will see that there’s a stream channel that is gradually being constructed by the corner shops and in liaising with the federal housing authority we went there today to sensitize the people that this development can not be accepted because it is constituting a natural stooge channel and it is an illegal development because the owner of the plot from the federal housing authority has written to us to come and partner with them to see how to clear the nuisance in the Gwarinpa estate,” he said.
